OScale Trains

Since last we met, much has happened down in the subterraneancatacombs of the Wonderful World of Scace. The shopis up and running, and several rolling stock projects have beenresurrected from the myriad boxes of bits that have resided underdust for far too long. Out in the not-so-wide open spaces, benchworkis rising from the pile of sawdust mixed with now-driedblood, and things are really taking shape. Other than having toswipe another one of the O Scale Poster Child’s Elmo Band-aids(“How many fingers do you have, Son? Okay, how many fingersdoes Daddy have?”), it’s a good feeling. Here’s something thatcame up while I’ve been considering backdrops on the newrailroad. It’s somewhat amazing to me that a very basic conceptreally hasn’t had the re-mention that it so richly deserves. Hence,I’ll do it here because I can.How does one establish a convincing backdrop that doesn’tlook disjointed or just plain weird? The key, my friends, is in thehorizon. Back in the Prose of the Ancients, oft was mentionedthat one’s horizon should never be below the viewer’s eye-level.How simply elegant, how true, and how forgotten. You don’tlook down at the sky, now do you! Let’s carry this one a little further,and have a look at the Perfect Tool from this day and age.First, my horizon’s lowest visual point is at my eye level.Scenery and backdrop hills, trees, and all that other obligatorystuff rise from that point. It’s already starting to look pretty good.The next thought is to remember that “eye-level” is best definedwhile standing. Even if you do your operating sitting on a stool,sooner or later you’ll probably stand up. If your horizon wasestablished for the seated position, because that’s the way youview the railroad most of the time, it still visually stumbles whenyou finally get your butt off the stool. If, on the other hand, youhave to look up a little when you’re firmly planted in the supervisoryposition, it doesn’t visually hurt anything a bit. At least youreyes are getting a little exercise!If your backdrop still looks kind of disjointed, or if you’re inthe construction mode and you want to avoid the next pitfall,you might look at the consistency of the horizon. That’s a sneaky,insidious problem that many folks have, yet can’t really put theirfinger on. Enter the previously mentioned Perfect Tool, the laserlevel.Go get one, set it up on a tripod, and shoot a horizontalline around the space at that eye-level-standing-up line we previouslymentioned. If you’re starting out, draw that line on thewall, and don’t paint any blue below it. If you’re troubleshootingan existing scene, don’t think you have to redo the whole bloodything, just cover over any “sky” that shows below the line andhave a critical look at the baselines of those distant mountainranges. Use a flat, build a hill, plant some trees, or just paint overany issues that you find. You’ll be amazed.While we’re on the backdrop subject, here’s a stunt that getsyou closer to visual Nirvana quickly. If you know what flavor ofscenery you want, paint it on the backdrop first. Do the samewith man-made features; use a scanner to scale up a photo ofa building, glue it on some crafter’s foam board, and slap ‘er upthere, as an example. You get two bonuseses, er bonus’s, uhboni, (Oh, Nubbins!) out of the deal. First, this helps you visualizehow features will work in context with each other. Don’t likeit? Paint over that hill, or move the building photo. Second, thisstep makes a very satisfactory scenic placeholder until you getto that stage of construction. You can then tell someone to dropATSF 237745 at Lugubrium Plant Number Ten, even though youhaven’t built it yet, rather than at the siding over there just afterthe third rib of benchwork (“I told you last month that the LugubriumPlant was there! Can’t you remember anything?”) Paint iton, or stick it on, then cover it later with the three-dimensionalstuff. What remains uncovered is your backdrop, already testdrivenfor perspective and context. Ain’t we slick!By the way, you’d be amazed at what you can mock up usingthe afore-mentioned foamcore poster board, some map pins ora hot glue gun, and a sharp drywall knife. Just cut out the basicdimensions of a building, plop it in place, and either adjust to fitthe existing track plan or adjust the track to fit the mockup. Youcan avoid using up your weekly allocation of seaworthy linguisticexpression by testing perspective, fit, and operational flow with afew foamcore mockups of buildings, bridges, tunnels, and otherpotentially troublesome features. Just be careful with the knife.Hey, Son! Can Daddy have another Elmo Band-aid? All that’s leftare the Barney ones? No, thanks, Son. I’ll just bleed.Lets Go Exploring!uSept/Oct ’06 - O Scale Trains • 13